How To Be Healthy

 Many people with serious illnesses would give anything for a single day of perfect health. After all, it's only when you lose your health that you realize what you once had. To be healthy and make the most of what you’ve got, follow these recommendation

Part 1 of 4: Having a Healthy Diet

1

Drink more water. Let's start off easy. Adult humans should be drinking a litre or more water per day -- that's six eight ounce cups of water. That is in addition to diuretics like tea and coffee! Water keeps bodies at the correct temperature and removes toxins that are the inevitable result of metabolism and industrial life. You'll be and feel healthier pretty automatically.

• Water also clears your skin, helps your kidneys, helps control your eating, and keeps you energized.^[1] If being skinnier, more wakeful, and having better skin isn't motivation, what is?!
• It also keeps you from drinking other things -- like calorie-riffic sodas and juices. The body barely registers the intake and you still feel hungry hundreds of calories later. If you need the taste, splash some lemon or lime or some 100% juice into your water.

 your water.

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2

Eat breakfast. A light, healthy breakfast is sufficient to reap the benefits of eating early. If it's comprised of lean protein and whole grains, it will keep you from chowing down at lunch. Research shows that breakfast-skippers actually eat more! So to curb your appetite, don't skip that first meal. Turns out it is the most important!

• Instead of two chocolate doughnuts and a coffee that's more cream than anything else, opt for eggs, fruit, and skim milk, fresh orange juice, or tea. The healthier your breakfast, the more energized you'll feel throughout the day and the more you won't need to eat later.^[2]

3

Eat well throughout the day. If half your plate is vegetables and fruit, you're on the right track.^[3] Add in lean protein, low-fat dairy, and whole grains. Once a steady eating pattern has been established, your body will feel more comfortable. There may be a period of time when your body is wondering where the heck the Oreos went, but once you're over the hump, you'll feel better than ever.

• Remember that not all fats are bad for you. Good fats can be found in oily fish like salmon and tuna, avocados, nuts and olive oil. These are essential to a well-balanced diet. Read How to Eat Healthy for more tips.

1. 4
   Eat at the right times. A good time for a healthy, easy-to-digest evening meal is between 5pm and 8pm; it is best to avoid late night snacks because they fill you with unnecessary calories and can disrupt your sleep. If you do need that midnight snack, stick to unsalted nuts, seeds, and fruits and veggies.
   • Snacking isn't bad for you if you do it right. In fact, eating "constantly" can keep you from feeling deprived and going for that third piece of cheesecake when the cart rolls around. Just make sure it's all in moderation.^[4]
2. Go a little meatless. In case you haven't noticed, meat hasn't played much of a role in what we've talked about so far. Being vegetarian is a good way to reduce your calorie intake and get loads of vitamins and minerals, but that being said, it can be done wrong. While it's a good idea to cut red meat out of your diet, make sure you are getting a wide variety of other foods from fruits to veggies to legumes to dairy and that your diet is still balanced.

   • A high-fiber diet is easily had without meat. Fiber has been shown to lower your cholesterol, control your blood-sugar levels, improve your bowel health, and make you less likely to overeat. The recommended fiber intake is 30 grams a day for men and 21 for women; after the age of 50, this jumps up to 38 for men and 25 for women. Some good sources of fiber include fruits and vegetables (with the skin), whole grains, and legumes.^[5]
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   •  Read the labels. Processed foods get a bad rap, and often for good reason. However, you've gotta choose your battles. That frozen bag of broccoli isn't nearly as bad as that boxed mac and cheese (if you can really call it that). In short, avoid processed foods when you can -- but if you can't, read the labels and watch for added bad stuff: salt, sugar, and fat.
   • Food that stays on the shelves often has added sodium, words that end in -ose, and trans and saturated fats in the ingredient list. If you see these on the label (especially if they're in high amounts), avoid them. You can find a healthier alternative elsewhere. It's not worth it.
     • Just because it says it has no trans fat doesn't actually mean it has no trans fat. Funny how that works, eh? Neglible amounts can be legally ignored -- so if you see hydrogenated vegetable oil on the list, you've found one of the masked culprits.^[6]